


The End

by kulina



Category: Kingdom (TV 2014)
Genre: I'm Sorry, second impact syndrome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-04
Updated: 2016-05-04
Packaged: 2018-06-06 09:20:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6748096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kulina/pseuds/kulina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nate is diagnosed with Second Impact Syndrome. Things go downhill from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The End

**Author's Note:**

> Imagine Nate had the TBI from his assault in 1x01 but not the knee injury. Pretend that he got back in the cage a bit too soon. 
> 
> (This is kind of what Zoey's nightmares are like. Also, Second Impact Syndrome doesn't go quite like I wrote it, but it fit with Nate so I went with it anyway.)
> 
> Not dark!fic, but based off a really twisted idea I had regarding my favorite line Jay says (see 2x09). I don't know why I'm posting this.
> 
>  
> 
> **This is horrible, and I am horrible. Read the note at the end if you want a detailed (aka spoilery) warning. The tags are not sufficient. ******

Second Impact Syndrome.

Jay’s world was shattered by three words. He looked over at Zoey, who was clutching at her chest and bouncing slightly on her toes in apprehension. She was pale as fuck, and Jay was sure he was, too.

“Can we see him?” Alvey asked.

“Yes. One at a time.”

Jay, of course, went first. “Hey, buddy,” he murmured.

Nate’s eyes were open, just barely. He didn’t speak – at that point, Jay wasn’t even sure if he could – so Jay got his message through quickly.

“I love you so much, okay? So fucking much. You’re my baby brother. I’m not going fucking anywhere. Promise.”

Nate gave a slight smile of acknowledgement. 

“You’re gonna be okay,” Jay whispered. 

Nate pretended not to notice the tears in his brother’s eyes.

“I love you so much,” Jay said again. He leaned down and kissed Nate’s temple. “I’m going to send Dad in, okay? I’ll be right outside if you need me. Right outside.” He gave Nate’s hand a gentle squeeze and then went back out the door.

His instinct was to get far away and burst into tears, but he’d made a promise to his brother. So instead, he gruffly told Alvey to go ahead in and then found Zoey and hugged her so hard he knew he must have been hurting her. She didn’t complain.

Despite his awkwardness in situations like this, Alvey spent longer inside with Nate than Jay had. Jay supposed his father was more protective over his favorite child than anyone else, so it made sense that he didn’t want to leave his side. Still, Jay knew that SIS was unpredictable and could take a life in mere minutes. Alvey needed to hurry up.

When Alvey was done, it was Zoey’s turn. She went in the door and closed it quietly behind herself. Jay and Alvey stood shoulder to shoulder, watching through the window. Zee hovered in the doorway for nearly a minute before slipping her shoes off and treading forward. Jay knew what she was going to do before she’d even thought of it.

Zoey moved a few cords out of her way and climbed up into the bed next to her brother. She carefully kissed the top of his head and then laid down next to him and pressed their foreheads together. His eyes had been closed, but he fought to open them for his little sister. Zoey could see how hard he was struggling, and she whispered, “Shh…”

Nate let his eyes fall shut. Zoey stroked the back of his hand the way he used to do for her when she was younger. 

“It’s okay,” she whispered. “Not gonna leave you.” 

A while later, a nurse came in. Zoey jumped at the sudden entrance but sat up slowly as not to jostle Nate. 

“We need to take Mr. Kulina for some more tests,” he said.

Zoey reluctantly kissed Nate’s cheek and exited the room. Her father embraced her, and she let him. Jay watched Alvey with a careful eye and put a protective arm around Zoey as soon as his father let go. She buried her face in Jay’s t-shirt. No words were exchanged; there was nothing to say.

 

* * *

 

 

Ten long, drawn out minutes later, the same nurse rushed up to them. “Come on,” he said. “He’s only got a few minutes left, and we’re not going to be able to save him.”

Zoey grabbed Jay’s hand and they jogged down the hall after the nurse, Alvey right behind them. Oh god, oh god, oh god… 

As soon as Zoey saw her brother still breathing, she melted a little with relief. They hadn’t been too late. She clambered back into her spot from before, careful again not to dislodge any of the tubes or cables connected to her brother. 

Jay was seated on his other side, his hand clasped tightly on Nate’s shoulder. Alvey stood off to the side, watching his kids say their goodbyes. Alvey lifted his phone and silently snapped a quick photo; he knew he’d want this later. 

Zoey tangled her hand in Nate’s, their fingers intertwined. Jay placed his hand over theirs. “It’s gonna be okay,” he said shakily.

She looked up at him blankly. “Are we keeping that promise?” she asked calmly.

Jay looked at her for a moment, weighing his options. But he could see the hope in her eyes, and that made the decision for him. He gave her a curt nod.

In that instant, the whole mood changed. Zoey actually smiled. She nuzzled her face into Nate’s neck and shut her eyes. “We’re okay,” she whispered. “It’s okay, Nate. You can let go.” 

They stayed until Nate’s heart stopped. Jay cried a little, but Zoey still seemed relaxed. Both kids hugged their father before they departed.

“Wait,” Zoey demanded. She broke away from Jay to run back to Nate’s lifeless body. She leaned her mouth right over his ear and whispered almost inaudibly, “We’ll see you soon.” 

Jay stopped at the hospital gift shop and two different pharmacies on the way home to pick up extra strength sleeping pills. Two bottles at each stop would be plenty for both Zoey and himself. Zee waited patiently in the car, absently scratching lines into her thigh with her nails until she drew blood. 

When they got home, they lined up pills on the coffee table. Zoey filled up two large cups of water.

“You a hundred percent sure you fucking want to do this?” Jay asked her. “I’m with you if you do, but you don’t have to. Don’t fucking do it if you’re not sure.”

“I want to,” she insisted. “We promised.” 

Jay nodded. “Okay.”

She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. “I love you, Jay. You’re the best oldest brother in the world.”

“Love you, too, Zee.”

He watched as Zoey downed pill after pill. He figured he’d better follow suit if he didn’t want to watch her die. (He didn’t.) 

Zoey started shoving handfuls of pills into her mouth and swallowing them all at once. She choked a little at one point, just for a few seconds, and it was enough to set her off crying.

“I know,” Jay murmured, wrapping his arms around her, “I know.” 

She just reached for more pills.

Jay waited until she was asleep on the couch to start taking more of his. He wanted to do right by her; he didn't want her to see her hero kill himself. He carried her into his bedroom and laid her in his bed. He had full intentions to go back and get more pills to swallow, but her breathing was so quiet and slow… Jay was afraid to leave her. He didn’t want her to die alone.

He laid down next to her… 

 

* * *

 

 

Jay woke in the middle of the night. The clock blinked just past 4:30 AM. Zoey was next to him, her hand still loosely grasping at his. The only difference was that she wasn’t breathing.

What? She wasn’t – oh, fuck. Jay had barely taken any pills. He’d been so worried about Zoey that he forgot about himself, and now he was the last one. He was the last one.

Nate was dead. 

Zoey was dead. 

Oh fuck, oh fuck…

Jay stumbled up and out of bed. He could still feel a bit of a strange high from the overdose. He went in the kitchen and pulled out a white envelope. He flipped it over and started writing on the back.

 

_Dad or Lisa (whoever finds this first),_  
__  
_I just want you to know that we love you. But we loved each other too much to stick around if one of us was gone. The three of us made a suicide pact last year – if one of us went we all did. And Nate went. So Zee and I had to. We talked about it first don’t worry. We both still wanted to so we’re going to._  
_Zoey is already dead. She’s in my room. She ODed on NyQuil. She wasn’t in any pain or anything she just fell asleep. She’s with Nate now._  
_I’ll be with them by the time you read this._  
_Please give Ryan the money in my bank account. The numbers are in my phone - password is 3825. It’s not much but I think it’ll help him out. Tell him I love him. He’s my best friend. Miss him already._  
_You and the guys from the gym can have whatever of our stuff you want. Keep all the pictures and the records and the twins’ art projects. I don’t know why. Just don’t throw them out. They’re important to me. (The art is in a box on the shelf in my closet.)_  
_I know it’s gonna look bad that all three of us kids are dead but I don’t give a fuck. Not having Nate would kill us anyway so this is just faster. Less pain you know?_  
_We really do love you though. Hope you guys are okay._  
_Lisa I wish we got to say goodbye to you. Zoey especially. She loved and trusted you so much. You were like her sister and that really meant a lot to her. Thank you for being there for my family and making Alvey a better person._  
_And Dad you suck sometimes but we all loved you. Thank you for Navy Street, that was home for all of us. It’s not your fault. We chose this. This was the only way.  
_ _I have to go now cause I can’t stand being an only child but I love you guys. See you later._

_Jay_

He grabbed the gun off the counter. The clock on the microwave said it was after 5 then. Okay.

He went and sat in the bed with Zoey, and he clicked the safety off. Jay pressed a kiss to her forehead and smudged a tear off his own cheek. “See you soon,” he whispered. He put the gun in his mouth and took one last deep breath…

**Author's Note:**

> Nate passes away in the hospital from Second Impact Syndrome. It is revealed that Jay, Nate, and Zoey had previously formed a suicide pact to protect themselves from grief, and the two remaining siblings act on it when they get home. Zoey ends her life by overdosing on sleeping pills. Jay intends to do the same, but his attempt fails. He wakes up, writes a suicide note to Alvey and Lisa, and then shoots himself.


End file.
